Despite widespread interest in XML, the eXtensible Markup Language which seeks to extend the capabilities of HTML, there is still no standard for it. OASIS, the non-profit Organization for the Advancement of Structured Information Standards, is seeking to promote a standard being developed by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C). W3C is supported by IBM, Sun, Oracle, Novell and several other major companies. Information about the draft standard is posted at www.XML.org. However, Microsoft has posted its own version of XML at www.BizTalk.org. It is seeking the support of its business partners.
Our concern is that a company with the clout of Microsoft can establish a de facto standard that best fits its proprietary needs, rather than the needs of the industry as a whole and, even more important, the custom-ers. Until the dust settles, investing in XML for one's computer system is risky because multiple versions of XML will make information sharing more difficult. There is a bright note, Microsoft recently announced that it plans to join OASIS. It is hoped that a consensus will emerge.
XML is expected to become import-ant in commerce over the Internet because it facilitates information exchange among a wide variety of servers as well as between clients and servers. Some industry experts believe XML will eventually displace EDI for online ordering, claiming, reporting, and invoicing because it is less expensive to implement.
